Mexalictus (Georgealictus) diversus Dumesh, 2013

DUMESH, SHEILA, 2013, <p> <strong> Revision of the rare Mesoamerican bee genus <em> Mexalictus </ em> (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) with the description of </ strong> <br /> <strong> 21 new species </ strong> </ p>, Zootaxa 3708 (1), pp. 1-80 : 63-64

Mexalictus (Georgealictus) diversus Dumesh , new species

( Figs. 168–169 )

Holotype. Female. MEXICO, Puebla, 4mi SW Huauchinango, 5700ft. 16 June 1961, University of Kansas Mexico Expedition [ KUM]; collection code KUNHM-ENT SM0414607 .

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from others by the following combination: head wide; supraclypeal area narrow, subantennal sutures sub-parallel (apically widened, diverging), stigma, marginal cell, and legs golden brown (dark brown), scopa entirely pale (dark).

Description. Female (Holoype): Body length 8.7–8.9mm, forewing length 7.3–7.4mm, head width 1.95– 2.0mm, ITW 1.38–1.40mm. Head: round, L:W = 0.96:1; with faint metallic green reflections. (1) Labrum and mandible: with subrectangular basal area, flattened basal elevation, narrow triangular distal process. (2) Clypeus: length 0.85X length of supraclypeal area, 2/3 of length below lower ocular tangent, convex in lateral view, not as protuberant supraclypeal area; punctures separated by 1pd basally, coarse and sparse apically (2pd). (3) Supraclypeal area: dull, slightly shiny directly below antennal sockets; strongly convex in lateral view; narrow, width 0.75X length; punctation more or less even throughout, separated by 1–2pd, becoming slightly crowded apico-laterally. (4) Lower paraocular area: mostly dull becoming shiny apicolaterally and towards paraocular lobe; punctation becoming less crowded below antennae, especially towards supraclypeal area (2pd), very finely punctate laterad of paraocular lobe towards inner margin of compound eyes, punctures separated by 2–3pd. (5) Frontal area: punctures dense and crowded, separated by 0.25pd at most; frontal line carinate only between antennae, from basal third of supraclypeal area to 3MOD from median ocellus, with a distinct line reaching median ocellus. (6) Vertexal area: shiny; OOD = 1.8MOD, IOD = 1.7MOD, OVD = 1.2MOD; punctures obscure medially around ocelli, becoming coarse and dense laterally (<1pd). (7) Genal and hypostomal areas: genal area as wide as compound eye in lateral view, shiny with fine punctures separated by 1–2pd; hypostomal area shiny, bare, and nearly impunctate. (8) Antenna: scape reaching past median ocellus, pedicel slightly longer than wide, F2 shorter than F1, flagellomeres slightly increasing in length from F2–F10, F2–F5 wider than long, F6–F9 quadrate, F10 longer than wide. Mesosoma: (9) Pronotum: smooth, impunctate, shinier laterally; pronotal lobe pubescent, bearing pale branched hairs. (10) Mesoscutum: dull, appearing granular, especially along margins and median line; densely punctate, punctures separated by 1–2pd in central disc, becoming more crowded basally and laterally past parapsidal line. (11) Mesoscutellum: dull with central disc shiny, slightly depressed medially; punctures finer than on mesoscutum, separated by 1pd in central disc, becoming dense towards margins with several larger punctures sparsely among them (>5pd). (12) Metanotum: somewhat shiny, with shallow sparse punctures, separated by>2pd; with short, dense yellowish hairs basally. (13) Mesopleuron: granular and sparsely punctate, punctures separated by 4–6pd; pre-episternum weakly granular anteriorly, punctation as mesopleuron; hypoepimeral area and central episternum mostly impunctate. (14) Metapleuron: transversely striate basally, striation weakened, otherwise weakly shiny and impunctate. (15) Metapostnotum and propodeum: metapostnotum weakly metallic, dorsally bare, weakly granular, short, length 0.75X length of mesoscutellum, dorsal striation present basally, strongest laterally, longer medially, extending to apical; propodeum with weak metallic reflection, weakly sloping posteriorly. (16) Wings: marginal cell tinted dark brown, venation dark brown on marginal and basal veins; 1 st recurrent vein meeting 2 nd submarginal cell 3 vein widths basad of 2 nd transcubital vein. (17) Tegula: brown, anteriorly dull becoming shiny posteriorly, anteriorly punctate with long pubescence. (18) Foreleg: tarsi with hairs whitish-yellow, basitarsus parallel sided, about 4X as long as width, hairs thick, erect and spine-like with a lateral patch of short pale erect hairs distally; tibia distally broadened, about 2.5X as long as greatest width, with whitish-yellow erect hairs, longest ventrally; femur about 3X as long as greatest width, with branched pale sparse hairs ventrally, nearly bare dorsally; trochanter slender, about 2X as long as distal width, with hairs erect; coxa subtriangular, slightly depressed laterally, with branched pale yellow hairs. (19) Middle leg: as foreleg, except as follows: basitarsus without lateral patch of short hairs distally, short spine-like brown hairs on inner side and dense whitish-yellow hairs on outer side; tibia with apicoventral patch of pale, long and dense pubescence on apical 2/3; femur with a lateral patch of dense short golden hairs proximally, and a patch of whitish long hairs near proximal margin; trochanter distally broadened, length 1.5X width; coxa somewhat hidden within ventral pleuron. (20) Hind leg: as middle leg, except as follows: basitarsus 3.5X as long as greatest width with several branched hairs, pubescence less dense than on tibia; tibia slender, 4X as long as greatest width, densely pubescent, hairs whitish-yellow, long and erect; femur 4X as long as greatest width, without lateral patch of hairs, scopa well developed, with long pale branching hairs, somewhat sparse; trochanter and coxa with long, branching, pale yellow pubescence; trochanter much shorter, nearly as long as wide; coxa similar to that of foreleg; tibial spurs translucent yellow, apically darkened; inner hind tibial spur microserrate, with over 15 close teeth. Metasoma: (21) Terga: T1 shiny brown with a medial yellow band apical margin hyaline, minutely punctate; T2–T5 dull and brown without metallic reflections; pubescence pale, long and branched on T1, short and pale on T2–T4, long and brownish on apical T5, sparse long hairs about 3X as long as short erect hairs. (22) Sterna: S1 with white long pubescence basally, S2–S5 with hairs long and brown, shorter pale hairs along apical margin, S6 with few short and erect brown hairs on apex, otherwise bare.

Male: unknown.

Material examined. MEXICO, Puebla, 4mi SW Huauchinango, 5700ft. 16 June 1961, U. Kans. Mex. Eped. ( University of Kansas Mexico Expedition) , paratype female (holotype female: KUNHM-ENT SM0414607 [ KUM]) .

Etymology. This epithet refers to the difference between this species and M. eickworti . The specimen that represents this newly described species was formerly assigned as paratype of M. eickworti .

Comments. This species was originally considered to be part of the variation of M. eickworti . It differs mainly in its wider head and sub-parallel subantennal sutures, resulting in a rectangular supraclypeal area. Also, M. eickworti has more strongly metallic propodeum and metapostnotum.

Figures

FIGURES 168–169. Mexalictus diversus Dumesh, n. sp., 168. Female lateral habitus, 169. Female head. Scale bars = 1mm.